Fruit and vegetable package



May 28, 1940. G. D. BISHOP FRPIT AND VEGETABLE PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 20, 1939 m .m V2 m WM Wm W W M May 28, 1940.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PACKAGE Filed Jan. 20, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR flea/lie 2. 3119/1014 ,4- ATTORNEY G. D. VBISHOYP 2,202,616

Patented May 28, 1940 UNITED STATES FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PACKAGE George D. Bishop, Sanford, Fla., assignor to Crown Paper Company, Sanford, Fla., a corporation of Delaware Application J anuary 20,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to fruit and vegetable packages and to a novel guard or liner for protecting the contents against injury during shipment and storage.

In packaging fruits, vegetables and the like (hereinafter designated generally as fruit) the same are often packed in a container of the socalled wirebound crate type constituted by a plurality of wall-forming slat members secured to suitable cleats and reinforced and bound together by wire binders. Such crates are easy to handle and provide the necessary ventilation for the contents.

In order to allow for shrinkage of the contents, it is customary to fill the crate so that the contents extend slightly above the edges of the walls, before the cover is closed, and thus, when the cover is closed and secured in place, the cover and adjacent walls tend to bruise the fruit in the top layer and particularly the fruit adjacent the edges of the side walls. Also, the fruit is often pinched between the cover and adjacent portions of the sidewalls.

In accordance with the present invention, the contents are protected from chafing and bruising injuries resulting from contact with the rough slats or other parts of the container, by means of a guard or liner which is disposed in the container between the contents and those portions of the container which are most likely to cut or bruise the contents during shipment, storage and handling of the package. The guard or liner preferably comprises one or more guard members of sheet material, such as paperboard, which provides the necessary cushioning and the desired protection. The guard member is provided with a side portion adapted to extend along an upstanding wall of the container and is provided with one or more tabs 0r tongues adapted to engage the adjacent wall to support the member in position. The guard or liner member also is provided with a cover portion, at least a portion of which is provided with increased flexibility so that it can be bent over to overlay the top layer of the contents and will sufliciently conform with the curvature contents to suitably protect the same.

The present invention provides a package which can be easily manufactured and quickly and easily assembled and packed. The protective means is simple and inexpensive and can be readily manufactured in quantity and easily assembled with the container by relatively unskilled labor. within the container during packing and fully The guard or liner is positively positioned 1939, Serial No. 251,919

protects the contents during shipping and handling of the package.

Various other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following particular description and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be par ticularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. i is a side View of one form of blank suitable for forming a guard member in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of a container suitable for carrying out the present invention and a pair of guard members in position to be assembled in the container;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a completed package constructed and assembled in accordance with the invention, one portion of the container being broken away to expose the guard; and

Fig. 4 is an end View of the package of Fig. 3 with certain portions broken away and sectioned to show the interior structure.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for purposes of explanation, but it will be understood that the details may be modified in various respects without departure from the broad aspect of the invention.

Referring now to Fig. 2, there is shown for the purpose of illustration 9. container of the Wirebound crate type which is especially suitable for carrying out the present invention. The container i comprises side walls 2 and 3, a bottom wall 4, and a cover 5, each of which preferably is similar in construction. The side wall 2 is constituted by a plurality of parallel slat members F is) secured as by means of staples II to cleats I2. A plurality of binder wires I3 extend across the slats l0 and are secured thereto by securing members, such as staples I4. The wires I3 may extend continuously across the sides 2 and 3, and

the bottom 4, and the top 5, thereby to hingedly connect these members together.

The ends of the container are closed by end wall members l5, each of which is constituted by a plurality of slats I6 secured to cleats IT, as by means of staples I8. Horizontal wires I9 extend across the slats l6 and are secured thereby as by staples 20. The ends of the wires l9 are doubled back to form hooks 2| which extend between the slats of the sides 2 and 3 and lie against the sides of the cleats I2, thereby to secure the end wall l5 in position and maintain the container in set up condition. Slots or grooves 22 may be provided in the cleats l2 for receiving the hooks 2|.

The cover 5 is hingedly attached to the rear wall 3 by the wires |3 and may be secured in closed position by passing the doubled ends 25 of the wires l3 extending from the side wall 2 through the looped ends 26 extending from the cover 5, as shown in Fig. 4. The extreme ends 21 of the loops 25 and 26 extend through and are bent over against the insides of the corresponding slats. It will be noted that the ends of the cleats l2 of the side walls, bottom walls and cover are chamfered or beveled at approximately 45 to permit them to fit snugly against one another and define frame-like ends for the container against which the end wall members are adapted to bear.

The container may be packed either by placing the fruit therein in predetermined arrangement, or by dumping the fruit in until it extends to the top edges of the upstanding wall portions. Preferably, the fruit is not crowned or bulged but is arranged so that the cover will extend substantially flat across the open upper side of the container. This may be designated as a package of the flat pack type. It will be understood, however, that, in order to allow for shrinkage, sufiicient fruit is placed in the container to more than fill the same so that, before the cover is closed and secured, the fruit projects somewhat (for example, an inch or two) above the tops of the side walls.

Prior to inserting the last layer of the fruit, a protective guard or liner is inserted in the container in position to overlie those portions of the contents which are most likely to be cut or bruised by the container. The guard or liner should be disposed between the top edge portion of the side wall of the container and the top layer of fruit thereby to prevent contact between the contents and the edge portion of the top slat and also the ends of the staples M which extend through the top slat. Likwise, the guard should protect the top layer of fruit from injury by the cover, and especially the ends 21 of the loops 26.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown one form of guard member 30 made in accordance with the invention. The guard member 30 is formed from paperboard or other suitable material which has sufficient softness and flexibility to provide the necessary cushioning, but which is sufiiciently rigid to be shape-sustaining and provide the required protection. The guard member3|l has a side section 3| approximately equal in length to the length of the container wall against which it is to rest. Preferably, the side section is of sufiicient width to extend downwardly of the container wall to below the point of contact of the top layer of fruit and the wall. The end edges 32 of the side section 3| are tapered converging downward, as illustrated, for

the purpose of providing a certain degree of adaptability to use with containers of varying lengths and adjustability, as will hereinafter be explained.

Integrally and flexibly joined to the side wall section 3| is a top section 33 preferably of slightly less length than that of the side section 3|. The top section 33 preferably is approximately equal in length to the distance between the inner faces of the end walls of the container. The top section 33 preferably is of sufiicient width so that when it is bent to overlie the top layer of contents it extends inwardly a distance greater than one piece of fruit. If desired, it may extend a considerable distance inwardly, but it is generally sufiicient if the top section 33 extends over only about the first one or two outermost rows of fruit in the top layer.

The top section 33 is formed with an inner margin portion 34 and a portion 35 of increased lateral flexibility extending between the side wall section 3| and the margin portion 34. The increased flexibility may be imparted to the guard member in various ways, but preferably by providing this portion with a series of small, parallel corrugations extending longitudinally of the guard member. The portion 35 is of sufficient Width so as to provide for readily bending the guard member about the largest piece of fruit with which the guard is to be employed and the corrugations are of such size as to permit the guard member readily to bend about the smallest piece of fruit with which the liner is to be employed. Thus, the section 35 of increased lateral flexibility will automatically accommodate itself to conform to the curvature of any piece of fruit which may lie adjacent the guard member.

The guard member 30 is provided with one or more, and preferably at least two, tabs or tongues 31, each of which is struck out from the guard as by a out line 36 and is foldable about a hinge line 38 approximately at the inner edge of the side wall section 3|. Each tab 31 may conveniently be made approximately semi-circular in shape and preferably is of approximately the width of the side wall of the container. The tabs 31 are arranged adjacent the ends of the guard member 30 for the purpose of assisting in supporting it in position in the container, particularly during the packing of the container.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 2, the guard member is assembled in the container I by disposing the side wall section 30 along the upper portion of the inner face of the side wall 3, the

tabs 37 being hooked over the top edge of the adjacent side wall 3 to suitably position the guard member 30. The end edges 32 of the side wall section 3| are wedged in the corners of the crate and preferably are inserted between the top slat H] of the side wall and the adjacent cleat l2. The inclined edge 32 permitsthe end of the guard member 30 thus to be inserted without interference from the topmost nail or staple which attaches the slat to the cleat. In certain cases, the inclined edge may bear against this nail or staple and thus assist the tabs 3'! in preventing the guard from dropping down into the crate. By inserting the ends of the side section 3| between the slat and the cleat, the guard thus is held in position during the packing of the top layer of fruit.

After the top layer of fruit has been placed in the container, the top section 33 of each guard member 30 is bent over the fruit, as illustrated. somewhat diagrammatically in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and the cover 5 is closed and locked in position by engaging the ends 25 and 2B of the wires [3 in the usual manner; the cover 5, of course, will be drawn as tightly as possible so as to provide a firm, solid package and to prevent looseness of the contents when the inevitable shrinking of the fruit takes place.

The guard or liner formed in accordance with the invention can be easily and inexpensively manufactured and assembled with the crate.v

The guard does not have any folds or other complicated constructional features and can be inserted with a simple single manual operation. While the guard preferably is inserted just before the last layer of fruit is placed in the crate, it can be inserted at an earlier stage of the filling operation, and due to the construction, will be maintained in the desired position. Owing to the construction of the guard, and particularly the fact that it is supported principally by the tabs 31, it can be employed with crates of considerable variation in siZe.

The guard is positively held in position by the pressure of the fruit, by the clamping action of the cover and top side wall on the tabs 31, and also by the end portions of the side wall section 3| which are wedged into the corners of the container. While the guard is held positively, nevertheless, there is suflicient adjusting movement possible and sufiicient flexibility of the guard to permit the guard to conform to the contents and any irregularities in the crate. Owing to the presence of the corrugations and to the arcuate cross-sectional shape of the guard when in operative position, the latter has substantial longitudinal stiffness and thus does not bow or wrinkle and is sufliciently'stiif to resist displacement to such an extent as would tend to injure the fruit.

Although the invention is illustrated incon nection with a crate of the wirebound type, it is not limited thereto, and the protective means for the container may be assembled with other types of containers such as nailed crates, boxes, baskets and others.

While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A guard member for a fruit box or the like, comprising a sheet of paperboard material free of transverse creases having a side section formed with inclined end edges, a cover section formed I with an uncrcased marginal portion and a portion of increased flexibility provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending corrugations, and tabs cut from said side section and bendable about a line approximately at the juncture of the side section and the cover section, said section of increased flexibility being of sufficient width to permit said guard to conform to the curvature of the'largest fruit with which the guard is to be used and said corrugations being of such size as to permit the guard readily to conform to the curvature of the smallest fruit with which the guard is to be used, and serving to longitudinally stiffen the guard when the side and cover sections are bent into angular relation.

2. A guard member for a flat pack fruit box or the like, comprising a sheet of paperboard material free of transverse creases having a side section formed with inclined end edges, a cover section formed with at least a portion thereof having sufficient flexibility whereby to substantially conform to the curvature of the fruit adjacent the juncture of the cover and adjacent the upstanding wall of the container, said cover section terminating short of the side section, and means associated with said side section and engageable with said container for positioning said guard member therein.

3. A guard member for use with a flat pack fruit box or'the like, to protect the contents adjacent the top edges of the upstanding walls of the box, said guard member comprising a strip of paperboard material having a side section adapted to extend along an upstanding Wall of the box, a cover section extending along said side section throughout less than the length thereof formed with at least a portion of increased lateral flexibility to permit the same to conform to the shape of the adjacent contents, and tab means extending from said guard adjacent the juncture of the side and cover sections.

i. The combination with a single compartment crate of the wirebound fiat pack type having upstanding walls and a cover adapted to be secured in closed position, of a guard or liner member comprising a sheet of paperboard material, substantially free to transverse scores or folds, having a portion extending along an upstanding wall of the crate, a portion of increased flexibility bent over and overlying at least the adjacent marginal portion of the top layer of fruit in the crate, and means extending from the guard member adjacent the juncture of the side section and the cover section and engaged between the adjacent upstanding wall of the crate and the cover.

5. A package for fruit, vegetables and the like comprising a container having upstanding walls and a cover adapted to substantially fit against the top edges of the upstanding walls, and a guard or liner member formed from an elongate blank of paperboard material, said member having a side wall portion extending along a side wall of said container and having its ends engaged in the adjacent corners of the container, a cover section of increased flexibility bent over and interposed between at least a portion of the top layer of contents and the cover and conforming substantially to the curvature of the contents, said cover section terminating short of the side section and adapted to fit inside of the end walls of the container, and means engaging the adjacent side wall of the container for maintaining said guard member in position in said container.

6. A package for fruits and vegetables comprising a container having upstanding side walls and a cover adapted to close the container, and a guard member of paperboard material having substantially uncreased longitudinal marginal portions adapted to be inserted between the contents and the side and cover walls of the container respectively, and a portion of increased flexibility joining said marginal portions and adapted to conform generally to the curvature of the adjacent contents, said portion of increased flexibility having longitudinal score lines providing increased transverse flexibility and increased longitudinal rigidity.

GEORGE D. BISHOP. 

